Today's Guest: Chuck Nall of Ideal Image Systems in Charlotte, NC
Today's Host: John Bentley
December 2007
Listen to this Show
Publish this Show on Your Website
Show Sponsor www.MorePhotos.com
www.IdealImageSystems.com
Chuck Nall Transcript Page
Chuck Nall Expert PageANNOUNCER: This program is sponsored by morephotos.com the online photo sales solution to professional photographers worldwide. Welcome to the VTalk Radio's Photographer Spotlight with your host, John Bentley.
JOHN: Today on VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight we have the marketing director of Ideal Image Systems joining us today, Chuck Nall. Welcome to the program, Chuck.
CHUCK: Well thank you.
JOHN: We certainly appreciate you joining us. Tell us a little bit about what you guys got going on over there at Ideal Image Systems.
CHUCK: Well we manufacture a machine made in the U.S that prints on a round object, baseballs, Christmas ornaments, softballs. And it also prints on baseball bats and drum sticks.
JOHN: What are you doing with... what are you printing on these items?
CHUCK: Well you can put pictures, you can put text, you can put graphics. If you can see it on your computer screen, you can put it on these items and they're perfect for awards, they're perfect for ceremonies. We've seen lots of different, unique applications.
JOHN: Now who are you marketing this particular printer for?
CHUCK: About half of our customers are people that already have imaging or ID businesses like embroidery peoples, screen printers, sign shops, photographers, trophy and award companies, ad specialty people. The other half of our customers are web and ebay-based companies that operate out of their home. The machine doesn't take any space at all and doesn't require any special and doesn't require any special machinery other than itself so we have a market basically home base and commercial based businesses.
JOHN: Ok, how big is this printer?
CHUCK: It's about the size of a boom-box that fits on a desk top.
JOHN: No kidding. That small. Now what do you call this particular printer?
CHUCK: Our machine is called the All Seasons Express.
JOHN: All Seasons Express.
CHUCK: All Seasons because it allows you to print items all year around...not just Christmas ornaments. and Express because it prints about 45 seconds to a minute 15 seconds.
JOHN: So you can load this printer up with balls or round objects. What about other things like baseball bats?
CHUCK: We have an attachment for baseball bats, full size bats, mini stadium bats, and it will also print drum sticks which we have our customers have come back and that's actually been more popular than even the baseball bats.
JOHN: No kidding. I'm a musician myself so I know a number of drummers that would love to have their own logo, have their own name, band name, whatever on their drumsticks.
CHUCK: Yeah, it's great for dance. Also great for high schools and college marching bands. They have...they'll print out a set of sticks for a tournament...a march that they're going to at the Macy's Parade or something like that.
JOHN: Now, what about the ink that goes in it? Does it take a special kind of ink? Do they have to get that ink through you?
CHUCK: No special ink is required. This is a desktop printer with a commercially available cartridge that you can get at Wal-Mart. You run out of ink at midnight, throw some clothes on, go down to Wal-Mart and get you a cartridge.
JOHN: Now can they order ink through you?
CHUCK: They can, but you know, we've designed our machines so that everything is available locally and we help people source locally so that they're not dependent on special balls and special inks like some of our competitors.
JOHN: Sure. What about the software you would need for something like this? Does it come with software or is that something you got to order separate?
CHUCK: You get drivers for the printer. All printers require drivers like you would install any desktop printer. We supply those with the machine. As far as the graphic applications, whatever graphic application you're used to using it can be Photoshop Elements, it could be Photoshop, it could be Illustrator, it could be Corel Draw. Just about any commercially available art program will work so you have no additional learning curve other than installing the drivers in the machine.
JOHN: What about special training for using it?
CHUCK: Well we supply a CD that has a pictorial. It takes you through every phase from opening the box all the way through to printing so when we send a machine out, we get two or three calls initially about little things and we walk them through it, individually, but no special training.
JOHN: Ok, what about, ok, now when you have a ball...let's say you have a picture and text, how much, I mean, can you cover the whole surface of a ball?
CHUCK: A baseball you can theoretically cover the whole surface, but you don't want to print over the stitches, but we supply template size that allows you to print within those stitch areas. As far as a Christmas ornament, it is a unique feature of the All Seasons Express. It can print a full 360 print completely wrapped by just a spot print.
JOHN: Today on VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight we are with Chuck Nall. He is the marketing director of Ideal Image Systems. Chuck, we're going to take a break, but before we do that why don't you give our listening audience your website address and contact information.
CHUCK: Sure. You can reach us through the website at www.idealimagesystems.com or at (704) 236-9109.
JOHN: We're going to step aside for these important messages, we'll be right back.
ANNOUNCER: Looking for a bridal show in your area? Visit www.weddingdetails.com for a list of upcoming bridal shows in your area. Visit www.weddingdetails.com tonight.
VTALK RADIO: VTalk Radio.
ANNOUNCER: This VTalk Radio Spotlight is sponsored by morephotos.com, the online photo sales solution to professional photographers worldwide.
ANNOUNCER: We now return you to VTalk Radio's Photographer Spotlight with your host, John Bentley.
JOHN: We are back with Chuck Nall. He is the marketing director of Ideal Image Systems and you're listening to VTalk Radio's Photographer Spotlight. Welcome back to the program, Chuck.
CHUCK: Thank you.
JOHN: Now we're talking about your All Seasons Express digital printer. This is a printer that not only retail outlets can use, but also home based and web businesses can use to put prints, designs, pictures, text on pretty much any round object, correct?
CHUCK: Correct.
JOHN: What are some of the more unusual items that you guys have used this printer for.
CHUCK: Well, when we originally built the machine, we built it for a school photographer that wanted to put pictures on bulbs to offer that with the picture package, and we felt like well it would be just a Christmas item, but our customers have found lots of different things to do with the machine. Some of the more unusual things we have a couple of people that print memorial bulbs for funeral homes. I didn't know such a thing existed before that. Of course, then we have people that print birth announcements and we have people that print...there's a man in Texas that does vintage tractor shows. We have another lady out west that does horse shows. We have a man in Kentucky that does gymnastics and Karate tournaments. So we've seen a lot of different applications other than what we originally thought the machine would be used for.
JOHN: Sure. What about like pets? Do you have a lot of people using it to get pets on maybe a Christmas ornaments or, I don't know, their favorite softball?
CHUCK: Pets are very sentimental to people and yes we have a couple people that specialize in pets with groomers. They actually supply the groomer with digital camera and the groomer takes a picture of the pet when the pet's picked up and then they can take an order for an ornament and once an ornament is on a stand it can go on a desktop. It can go on a bookshelf, a night stand, so it kind of takes you away from the idea of Christmas. Booster Clubs, band and sports booster clubs have used these quite a bit. As well as far as baseballs and softballs they're tournament based. Their end of season awards, special events, tournament wins and things like that.
JOHN: Now how big of a ball can you actually print on?
CHUCK: Up to softball size.
JOHN: Softball size, ok. I would imagine the whole ornament thing might be kind of a neat thing for the military application too. Especially with our military overseas.
CHUCK: We have a couple military printers. One does something pretty unique. He has a Forget Me Not bulb for deployed troops. Families can buy a picture of the troop, the deployment area, the return date on a stand that way they can keep that on their coffee table or desk or night stand or bookshelf and he's done very well with that.
JOHN: Now for anybody out there that may be going to a photography convention. You've got a couple of shows coming up here don't you, Chuck?
CHUCK: Well we have Printware coming up in May in Fort Worth and that's May 8th, 9th and 10th and Printware in Baltimore is the following month the 19th, 20th, and 21st of June.
JOHN: Good so people can come and actually see a demonstration of...
CHUCK: They can come and see a demonstration or they can contact us before hand, send us the graphic they'd like to see, and we can have that ready and we can print that graphic for them right at the show.
JOHN: Now how long have you guys been in business? How long have you been doing this business?
CHUCK: I've been with this business four years. The principals of the company have been in screen imaging for about 25 years so they're familiar with the process of identification and the markets around that.
JOHN: Now what do you see the future holding for the All Seasons Express digital printer and Ideal Image Systems?
CHUCK: Over the next couple of years just more shows because there's lots of different market segments that we haven't previously hit. We've just touched upon trophy and award, and they seem to fit the machine real well. Even the segment of signs, we've been invited to a large franchisee convention of sign franchise to show that to their franchisees. So we think a couple more years of this. We're working on a couple other specialty machines. Lots of people build digital printers for posters and flat things, but we're going to remain in this specialty application, because honestly there's more margin in that. Our customers understand that quickly. A glass ornament, Christmas ornament, costs .35 cents. You can print that and easily sell it for $15 - $20 so they understand that part of our business real well.
JOHN: Alright now, we're coming to the end of the program here, Chuck. We certainly appreciate you joining us on VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight.
CHUCK: Thanks for taking the time to find us and interview us.
JOHN: Certainly. Before we go, one more time, let's give your website address and contact information.
CHUCK: You can call us in North Carolina at (704) 236-9109 or you can read all about it and see some pictures and some applications at our website www.idealimagesystems.com and you could also email us an inquiry or would like to see a sample we can usually accommodate you if we're not busy traveling.
JOHN: Well, thank you for joining us today on VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight. You've been listening to Chuck Nall. He is the marketing director of Ideal Image Systems and we've been talking about their All Seasons Express digital printer here on VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight. Thanks for tuning in. Everybody have a great afternoon.
ANNOUNCER: You have been listening to the VTalk Radio's Photographer Spotlight; only on www.vtalkradio.com. Radio for the 21st Century.
go to top of the page
